Project

Just the bear necessities: digestive flexibility of carnivores to anthropogenic habitat changes

Code
01IO3118
Duration
01 October 2018 → 30 September 2022
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund
Research disciplines
  • Natural sciences
    • Other chemical sciences
    • Animal biology
  • Medical and health sciences
    • Nutrition and dietetics
  • Agricultural and food sciences
    • Agricultural animal production
    • Food sciences and (bio)technology
Keywords
carnivores nutrition ecology
 
Project description

Carnivores choose prey and other diet items based on ecological factors. The choice for a “feast-and-famine” strategy requires different physiological adaptations than a strategy of frequent feeding, with intestinal fermentation being of crucial importance because it determines their health. This project investigates feeding patterns of brown bears in a changing habitat with human interference and how their digestive physiology adapts.